Global and International Studies

At Wooster, the major in Global and International Studies adopts a global focus and
an interdisciplinary approach. The Global and International Studies major program
consists of courses in Political Science, History, and Economics. At the time they
declare a major, students select one of these three departments as their home department.
Students are also required to take one foreign language course beyond the first four
beginning and intermediate courses and participate in an Overseas Term.

Major information

The coursework must include Introduction to International Relations and Theories of
International Relations in Political Science, and Principles of Economics and either
Intermediate Macroeconomic Theory or Intermediate Microeconomic Theory in Economics.
In order to assure that students receive a thorough background in the complexities
of international relations, majors must also select courses in three areas of study:

Specialized International Relations: two courses, one from Political Science and one
from History. Choices include Problems of the Global Community, United States Foreign
Policy, Comparative Foreign Policy, The United Nations System, Nationalism and Interdependence
and International Security in Political Science and Twentieth Century Europe, The
Fall of the Soviet Union and Rise of the New Russia and The United States and China
in History.

The Global Economy: two courses in addition to the two required economics courses.
Students may study International Trade, International Finance, or Economic Development
in Economics, and/or International Political Economy in Political Science.

Comparative Political and Economic Systems: one course selected from Political Science
offerings including Politics of Western Europe, Government and Politics of Africa,
The Politics of Developing Countries, and Peace Studies.

Requirements

The Global and International Studies major consists of 14-15 courses in political
science, history and economics. Coursework covers international politics, diplomacy
and conflict; the global economy; and comparative political and economic systems.
At the time they declare a major, students select one of these three departments as
their home department. Before beginning junior Independent Study, majors take at least
one social science methods course in the home department. They also choose their I.S.
advisers from that department.

The field of global and international studies explores the behavior of governments,
international institutions, multinational corporations, non-governmental organizations,
and sub-national groups. International relations scholars investigate the rich complexity
of relationships between the actors -- political, economic, historical, geographic,
and cultural -- that characterize today’s world. In addition, we seek to understand
the enormous tide of recent changes in the international system that have made this
discipline more intellectually challenging and more relevant to our daily lives than
ever before.

Independent Study

Like all Wooster students, Global and International Studies majors complete independent
research guided by faculty mentors in their home department. After completing the
methods coursework required by the home department, and, in most cases, the Overseas
Term, each student researches and then writes a senior thesis on a topic of particular
interest. Recent projects have included: The European Union and the Limits of Cooperation,
The Reversal of Development in Argentina, Intervention in Genocide, Economic Satisfaction:
Public Opinion and War Proneness, States vs. Terrorists, Analysis of the Deterioration
of U.S.-Cuban Relations, Globalization and Political Violence in Italy, and The Impact
of Women's Leadership at the United Nations.

Overseas Term

The Global and International Studies faculty recognize that student understanding
of the complexities of the field of international relations is enhanced by exposure
to politics, people, languages, and cultures different from their own. Therefore,
IR majors complete a term of overseas study from a long list of Wooster endorsed programs.
The overseas experience should be at least one semester or term in length.

The International Programs Office has information on all approved overseas opportunities,
and the Director assists students in selecting programs and making arrangements for
such study. These overseas opportunities permit Global and International Studies majors
to travel virtually anywhere in the world -- from Kenya, Spain, Australia, and Nicaragua,
to the Czech Republic, France, and China.

Wooster's International Community

Wooster has long believed that international students are valuable assets to the College
community. These students come to Wooster from countries that literally span the globe.
This year, for example, we have students from numerous countries including Bangladesh,
Brazil, China, Ethiopia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, India, Jamaica, Japan, Kenya, Myanmar,
Nepal, Netherlands, Norway, Pakistan, Paraguay, Romania, Russia, South Africa, South
Korea, Tanzania, United Kingdom, and Zimbabwe.

Visible manifestations of the lively international community on campus include the
International Students Association, which regularly sponsors programs to celebrate
the regions of the world that are represented on campus and presents lectures, panel
discussions, dance exhibitions, music events, and even dinners which serve the traditional
food of the areas highlighted. In addition, select international students represent
their home countries on campus through community presentations with the Ambassadors
Program. The Model United Nations program allows Wooster students to compete in national
role-playing simulation competitions, where they act as diplomats representing countries
engaged in international negotiations on major global issues. Global and International
Studies majors may also continue to practice Chinese, French, German, Russian or Spanish
by living in one of the language suites located in Luce Hall.